ENCOUNTERS: INDIA

SYMPOSIUM

THE TIES THAT BIND US

Gallery of Modern Art, South Brisbane

Discussions were underpinned by debate on the role of diplomacy, particularly cultural diplomacy, defining and refining relationships between the two countries, but encompassed a much broader canvas, as political leaders and scholars, commentators and artists explored the ways we might bridge the imaginations of our two cultures.

Key sessions explored: the role of cultural diplomacy in Australia-India relations; Indian identity through film and television; Western concepts of intellectual property and Indian traditions; musical interactions between Australia and India; contemporary Indian culture in the world; the role of soft diplomacy in Australia-India relations; and the rise of India as a superpower.

Rory Medcalf is Director of the International Security Program at the Lowy Institute and Associate Director of the Australia India Institute, heading its Node at the University of New South Wales. He has been active in developing Australia’s ties with India, and is co-chair and founding convener of the Australia-India Roundtable, the leading informal dialogue between the two
countries.

His professional background spans diplomacy, journalism and intelligence analysis. He has worked as a senior strategic analyst with the Office of National Assessments. His experience as an Australian diplomat included a posting to New Delhi, a secondment to Japan’s foreign ministry, and truce monitoring after the civil conflict in Bougainville. He has contributed to three landmark reports on nuclear arms control including the 1996 Canberra Commission. His earlier work in journalism was commended in the Walkleys awards in 1991. Mr Medcalf is a Nonresident Senior Fellow in Foreign Policy with the Brookings Institution in Washington DC.Rory Medcalf appeared courtesy of the Lowy Institute

9.45 – 11.00 | CULTURAL DIPLOMACY: THE THIRD PILLAR OF FOREIGN POLICY
Participating Chair, John McCarthy AO FAIIA, National President, Australian Institute of International Affairs and former Australian Ambassador to Vietnam, Mexico, the US, Thailand, Indonesia, Japan and High Commissioner to India.
Datuk Ramli Ibrahim choreographer, director Sutra Foundation, Kuala Lumpur
Peter Knight Artistic Director, the Australian Art Orchestra
Ritwik Sanyal dhrupad singer and former Dean, Faculty of Performing Arts, Benares Hindu University,
Varanasi.
Lachlan Strahan, former Deputy High Commissioner to India, and current Acting First Secretary for
Pacific Division, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

11.00 – 11.30 | BREAK

11.30 – 1.00 | BEYOND BOLLYWOOD: INDIAN IDENTITY THROUGH FILM AND TELEVISIONPresented by Griffith Film School
Participating Chair, Herman van Eyken, Head of School, Griffith Film School
Maxine Williamson, artistic director of the Asia Pacific Screen Awards.
Anupam Sharma, an Australian of Indian origin, film director, actor, producer, and author.
Meenakshi Shedde, 25 years’ experience in journalism, including 11 years in the Times of India group, where she was Assistant Editor.

1.00 – 2.00 | BREAK

2.00 – 3.30 | ONE VERSUS MANY: WHERE DIFFERENT CREATIVE ECONOMIES MEETPresented by The Sangam Project
When musicians, dancers, artists and designers from India and Western countries like Australia come together to collaborate, they often find different values about ownership of what’s produced. The Western concept of intellectual property is an increasingly formalised system that requires permission for the reproduction of an original work. By contrast, Indian culture seems almost open source. According to Josh Schrei, ‘In Indic thought, there is no trade secret.’ Just as there seem no limits on the way Hinduism can be interpreted, so there seems little in India to stop anyone using another’s designs or compositions. So how do we navigate our way through such different worlds?

3.45 – 5.00 | AN EQUAL MUSIC: MUSICAL INTERACTIONS BETWEEN INDIA AND THE WEST
Participating Chair, Robert Davidson, composer, Topology ensemble, Brisbane.
Patricia Rozario, concert singer and music educator, London.
Rajesh Mehta hybrid instrumentalist, Singapore.
Shruthi Laya and the Australian Art Orchestra. Through improvised collaboration, musical directors, Guru Kaaraikkudi Mani and Adrian Sherriff have guided this collaboration along its exploration of Carnatic and Western jazz traditions.

6.00 – 7.30 | INDIA LARGE AND SMALL: CONTEMPORARY INDIAN CULTURE IN THE WORLDPart of Perspectives: Asia, hosted by Griffith Asia Institute & the Australian Centre of Asia Pacific Art
Through the fields of music, film and architecture, panellists will examine the changing nature of contemporary Indian identity, and how Indian culture has become a major force internationally. Is there a growing push for a broad idea of national identity, or are local and regional cultures asserting a greater presence?

9.45 – 11.15 | BRIDGING CULTURES THROUGH EDUCATION DIPLOMACYPresented by the Australia India Business Council Queensland and the New England College of Technology
Participating Chair, Rebecca Hall, Manager Study Abroad and Exchange, Griffith University.
Caitlin Byrne, Assistant Professor of International Relations, Bond University.
Mike Wallace, CEO of First Impressions Resources (FIR), the Australian Retail College.
Dipu Sebastian, program convenor at Queensland Institute of Business and Technology with extensive
experience in the international higher education sector.

11.15 – 11.30 | BREAK

11.30 – 1.00 | WANDERINGS IN INDIA: AUSTRALIAN PERCEPTIONSPresented by the New England College of Technology
Inspired by Amit Sarwal’s collection of essays about diverse encounters between Australians and Indians.

2.00 – 3.00 | BUILDING OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH INDIA: THE ROLE OF SOFT DIPLOMACYPresented by the Australian Institute of International Affairs

A conversation between John McCarthy AO, National President, Australian Institute of International Affairs and Cathy Van Extel (Journalist at ABC 33/40, Brisbane).
John McCarthy has served as Australian ambassador to Vietnam (1981-1983); Mexico (1985-1987); Thailand (1992-1994); the United States (1995-1997); Indonesia (1997-2000) Japan (2001-2004) and high commissioner to India (2004-
2009). McCarthy is currently chair of the Australia-India Council, deputy chair of the Australia-India Institute, chair of the Advisory Board of the Griffith Asia Institute and co-convenor of the Australia -Indonesia Dialogue. He is also involved in the private sector.John McCarthy is appearing courtesy of the Australian Institute of International Affairs

3.00 – 4.30 | INDIA: NEW PARADIGMS: LOOKING BACK 20 YEARS TO 2013Presented by the Australia India Business Council Queensland

From the vantage point of 2033, we look back on the past 20 years to the time when the relationship between India and Australia began to repair and flourish. Indian resources companies have now restored the Queensland economy to a state of good health, and Australian uranium now powers Indian mega-cities and scientific research. Australian universities now have off-shore campuses in all major Indian centres and Indian students fuel the economies of our tertiary education sector. Tourism between our countries has peaked, and the Indian Outback Centres are now thriving. As Australians have discovered the delights of the camel-burger, other connections abound: collaborations in space research, bio-medical breakthroughs and major film productions. But what about cricket, you ask? Best left unsaid ….

Randeep Agarwal, President, Australia India Business Council Queensland.
Michael Kasprowicz, former Test cricketer and Board Member, Cricket Australia.
Christopher Kremmer, author and Director of Communications, Australia India Institute, University of Melbourne.
Archana Singh was appointed Honorary Consul of India, Brisbane in 2011. Her office, located in Taringa, has jurisdiction throughout Queensland.
Participating Chair, John McCarthy AO